


this love (that's more than love)

by starlight_sugar



Category: Lovely Little Losers, Nothing Much to Do
Genre: Day At The Beach, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-20
Updated: 2015-08-20
Packaged: 2018-04-16 08:29:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4618506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlight_sugar/pseuds/starlight_sugar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Costa announces that since it’s his turn to pick, he will be instituting their first ever date day instead of date night, that they will be going into town and doing all manner of romantic things, and that they’ll need to bring swimsuits.</p>
<p>Or: Jaquie has never seen the ocean, and it's about time that changed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	this love (that's more than love)

**Author's Note:**

> Because I've written an awful lot of OTP, and not enough OT3. The newest videos right now are LLL 20 and Jaquie's audition, and the title comes from [Never Seen Anything Quite Like You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT06qwaHJ1Y) by The Script.

“Never?” Peter says incredulously.

Jaquie shrugs next to him, looking utterly nonchalant. “I never really had the opportunity, and my parents hated it.”

“But - _never?"_

“I think we’ve established the never, love,” Costa says distractedly, head pillowed on Jaquie’s thighs. He’s thumbing through an old copy of _Doctor Faustus_ , but Peter knows he’s following the conversation because he’s not muttering to himself as he reads.

Obviously, this is a bigger deal to Peter than it is to either of them. He’s always loved the beach, as long as he can remember. He met Bea at the beach, they had a flat bonding session at the beach, they had regular family trips to the beach. The beach is important to him, and here’s Jaquie saying she’s never seen the ocean. He’s allowed to be a little appalled.

“There are bays and beaches everywhere in Wellington.”

“I didn’t grow up here, and I’ve been a bit busy with classes.”

“But it’s the _beach._ ”

“So you’re a beach bum?” Jaquie pokes him in the ribs. “Are you one of those people who sits on the beach and watches the waves? Or, no, you’re a surfer, aren’t you?”

“Nah, just an admirer of the water.” Peter spreads his hands out in front of him, and he can see the beach in his mind’s eye, vast and gold and green in front of him. “Far as you can see, nothing but ocean. We can go in and touch water that the tides could’ve washed over from Japan, or America, or anywhere in the world. It’s like being everywhere at once.”

Jaquie smiles. “How poetic.”

“I don’t think that’s how tides work,” Costa says.

Peter raises his eyebrows. “Do you know a lot about tides?”

“Nothing at all. I avoid the beach at all costs.”

Honestly, if Costa had gotten up and punched Peter in the stomach, it would’ve been less surprising. It also might be less of a betrayal. “You what?”

Costa shrugs, glancing up at him. “Too bright, too sandy, too noisy. It’s never been my scene.”

It’s not that Peter doesn’t love the people he’s dating, because he does. He really does. But the ocean was his first love, and he wishes he could share that with them, just once. He can’t force them to do anything, but he can still dream.

.

Date night is every other Saturday, and they all take turns picking what they do. Some are notably better than others (for instance, Jaquie’s idea of renting a tandem bike had been terribly ineffective, if fun) but Peter likes to think he’s good at picking dates. Mini-golf was a good one.

Costa announces via Skype on Friday night that since it’s his turn to pick, he will be instituting their first ever date day instead of date night, that they will be going into town and doing all manner of romantic things, and that they’ll need to bring swimsuits.

Jaquie raises her eyebrows. “So one of those things will be swimming?”

“One of them,” Costa says brightly. “It’s going to be a good time. I’ll be by to pick you up around nine o’clock, so be ready by then.”

“Any hints about the other things?” Peter’s curious. Costa’s ideas normally involve seeing and admiring more than they involve doing, and while he certainly won’t complain, he wants to know what inspired the change in heart.

“None at all! Be sure to get enough sleep, we’re going on quite the adventure tomorrow. Good night, dearests!” Costa blows a kiss at the computer screen and then vanishes.

Peter glances at Jaquie. “Any guesses?”

“I’m thinking a city highlights tour.” Jaquie drums her fingers on her desk thoughtfully, the sound echoing in Peter’s earphones. “We’ll go swimming somewhere, check out a sightseeing building. Go for lunch, probably.”

Costa has the alarming ability to find the best restaurants, no matter where they go. If lunch is part of his plans, then Peter’s ready for it. “Sounds like we’ll be busy, though. A day trip instead of a night out?”

“Maybe it’ll be a day and a night.” Jaquie shrugs and smiles. “I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow, then?”

“Nine isn’t that early,” Peter points out, but he can’t help but smile back at her. “Night, Jaq.”

“G’night, Peter.” Jaquie kisses her fingertips and presses them to the webcam, and Peter does the same without a second thought. He’s still smiling when she exits out of Skype and it’s just him pressing two fingers against his laptop. He’s not sure that he’ll ever stop.

.

Costa drives the most nondescript car that Peter has ever seen, which never fails to baffle him, because Costa is anything but nondescript. Still, when he glances out the window at nine o’clock and sees the plain silver sedan outside, he can feel his heartbeat pick up speed.

Freddie wanders in as Peter picks up his swim bag. “Is play rehearsal early today?”

“Uh.” Peter tries to think of a lie that doesn’t involve the word “date.” God, he hates the flat rules sometimes. “We’re doing a cast bonding trip. Costa won’t tell us where we’re going, it’s a surprise.”

“Bonding?” Freddie raises her eyebrows meaningfully once or twice. “What kind of bonding?”

Personally, Peter thinks that Freddie has no room to imply that he’s dating anyone, because he once happened to borrow her laptop when Meg started messaging her cheesy chatup lines, but he doesn’t have time to argue. “The kind of bonding that means I won’t be home most of today.”

Freddie waves him out. “Go on, have fun. Bonding.” She winks at him, and he rolls his eyes and waves as he heads out.

Jaquie’s already sitting shotgun, leaning out the window, hair falling around her face. “We were about to leave without you!” she yells.

“Yeah, yeah.” Peter slides into the backseat. “I’m sure you were going to have a great time without me, the only one who can read a map.”

“I’ve read maps before,” Costa says reasonably, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. “I can read the names of cities on maps.”

“I know which way east is based on the sun,” Jaquie adds.

See, this is why they need Peter: they would literally be lost without him. “Whatever you say. Where are we headed?”

“Out!” Costa hits a button on the radio, and something bright and bubblegum starts playing in the car.

Jaquie turns around to face Peter. “He still won’t say where we’re going,” she says, sounding rather put out. “He says we’ll know once we get there.”

“Well, we probably will know when we get there.”

“But I want to know before! He even set the GPS before we got in so we wouldn’t accidentally hear it.” Jaquie glares at Costa before turning to the radio. “Either way, I’m playing loud music.”

“Loud music gives you more volume to enjoy,” Costa says peacefully. Peter almost does a double-take - Costa doesn’t like loud music, he says that if it’s too loud it distracts from the purity of the melody. This morning is getting strange.

Jaquie’s giving him a suspicious look as well. “Have you been body-snatched?”

“This is a one-time offer, Miss Manders.” Costa smiles, and Peter catches the reflection of it in the mirror, and it’s genuinely dazzling, and oh god how did he get so lucky? “Today is a very special day.”

“Special how?” Peter can’t help but ask, leaning forward. Costa seems so genuinely proud of what they’re doing, and even though Peter’s sure it’ll be great, he’d like to know what it is.

“Ah, but that’d ruin the surprise.” Costa just turns the radio up and faces forward.

Peter shoots Jaquie a bemused glance, and she shrugs before starting to sing along with the radio. After a minute, Peter joins in, because why the hell not? It’s not like his voice is any worse than hers.

.

It takes about five minutes for Peter to decide that while they’re driving through Wellington, they’re clearly not stopping. Judging by the look on Jaquie’s face, she’s figured it out too.

Peter’s eyes flick between her and Costa, and she seems to get the message, because she sets a hand on Costa’s elbow. “Cos,” she begins.

“Mmm?”

“You know we’re glad that you can drive, and that you have the GPS to help you.”

“Of course.”

“But we’re not stopping in the city.”

“Oh, we’re not going into the city.”

“What,” Peter says helplessly.

“You said it was a day on the town!” Jaquie protests.

“It added to the mystery. A red herring!” Costa smiles brightly. “We’re going on an adventure that neither of you can imagine.”

Peter blinks. “Okay, well, how much driving is left in this adventure?”

“Mmm, ten minutes, fifteen tops? We need to pick a perfect spot to stop.”

Jaquie frowns. “Pick a spot?”

Picking a spot sounds an awful lot like they’re not going somewhere specific, Peter thinks. It has to be close, and they’ll need swim clothes, so there will be water. Somewhere big, and watery, and -

Peter suddenly feels like an idiot. “Oh, my God, of course.”

Costa laughs. “Any suggestions for good spots?”

“Where were you thinking?”

Costa tosses his phone in the back, ignoring Jaquie trying to grab at it. Peter picks it up and sees there’s an information page about a bay south of Wellington. The beach. Costa’s taking them to the beach.

He smiles fondly at the phone. “Avoided at all costs, huh?”

Costa waits until Peter’s looking at the rearview mirror to wink. “There are exceptions to every rule.”

“What rule?” Jaquie demands. “Peter, where are we going?”

“Nope, this has to be a surprise. Sorry, Jaq.”

Jaquie groans. “Not you too!”

“It’ll be worth the wait, I swear.” Peter tries to give a reassuring smile, but Jaquie’s eyes narrow. “I _swear_.”

“I believe you,” Jaquie decides after a long minute. “But I’m not letting you blindfold me or anything.”

“There goes that plan,” Costa says, not sounding particularly like he’s kidding.

.

Peter films Jaquie’s reaction, because what the hell, it’s bound to be priceless.

“This has to be something big, then,” Jaquie says when she sees his phone out. “You don’t film for just anything.”

“This isn’t just anything, it’s a surprise.” Peter can see the water now, bright blue swathes just over Jaquie’s shoulder, and he adjusts his angle so it’s in the camera too. “Jaquie, tell the camera what’s going on.”

She laughs. “I don’t know what’s going on! You and Costa won’t tell me!”

“It’d be a terrible surprise if you knew about it,” Costa points out, and Peter shifts the camera so he can catch the corner of Costa’s smile in it.

“But Peter knows!” Jaquie points at the camera accusingly. “You know and you won’t tell me!”

“It’s worth waiting for.”

“I’ve been waiting this entire car ride!”

“It’s only been fifteen minutes, Jaq.”

“And you figured it out ten minutes ago!” Jaquie makes like she’s going to toss her hair, but stops mid-motion. Peter immediately leans so that he can see her face on the camera, because he knows what it has to be.

The ocean is in front of them now, spread out past the parking lots and sand, and it’s like coming home for Peter. Jaquie, on the other hand, is stuck gaping out the windshield, eyes wide.

“Surprise,” Costa murmurs after twenty seconds. He’s smiling at Jaquie, and it’s bloody brilliant to look at, and when Jaquie looks at him her face is lit up like a little kid’s.

“Oh my god,” she says, sounding close to tears. “Oh, my god, Costa, you-” she breaks off, shaking her head.

Costa fixes his eyes back on the road, but he grabs Jaquie’s hand and twines their fingers together. Without a second thought, Jaquie takes Peter’s free hand and sets it on top, and she smiles at him.

Peter turns the camera off, because some things are too raw and real for film. “So?”

Jaquie leans in and kisses him, laughing her exuberance against his mouth. “You gave me the ocean.”

“I think Costa gave us the ocean, actually.”

“Oh, he’s next, I just don’t want him driving distracted. But you’re available right now.” She kisses him again, deeper this time, and Peter kisses back because he’s happy. He’s happy, and he has never loved the beach more.

Costa makes a strangled noise. “What was that you said about not distracting the driver?”

Peter laughs and squeezes their hands. “Park somewhere and then it won’t be a distraction.”

Costa, who is notoriously bad about trying to find the optimal parking space, still tries to find the optimal parking space. It just happens to be quicker than normal this time.

.

“All right, boys,” Jaquie says, holding onto Peter and Costa’s hands. “Any ocean tips?”

“Don’t drown,” Costa says helpfully.

Peter rolls his eyes. “Close your eyes when you go under, or else it’ll sting like hell.”

Jaquie nods firmly. “Right. We’ll all go in together, and then Costa can sulk about being wet for the rest of the day. Let’s go!” She starts forward and Peter and Costa go alongside her, grinning at each other over the top of her head. Costa doesn’t even look all that upset about getting dragged into the ocean.

She stops once they’re all knee-deep, looking down uncertainly. “So do we just… keep going?”

“No,” Costa says cheerfully. Before either of them can react, he lets go of Jaquie’s hand and pushes on her shoulder, hard. Jaquie shouts and only barely closes her eyes before crashing down into the water, pulling Peter down with her. Peter manages to close his eyes but not his mouth, and before he can stop it he’s underwater and everything tastes like salt.

He pops up just a second before Jaquie, who immediately yells “You _fucker_ ” and leaps on Costa’s back. Costa, who was clearly not ready, says “Whoa whoa whoa” and topples over into the water, face-first.

“Ouch,” Peter remarks to nobody in particular. He’s about to swim out further when he feels a hand wrap around his ankle. “Oh, shit,” he says just before Costa pulls him in. He doesn’t go all the way under this time, barely managing to catch himself, and Costa pops up looking cross.

“Peter,” he says sternly, “we can’t make out underwater if you’re above water.”

“Oh,” Peter says. “Let’s go out deeper first, though.”

Costa loops an arm around his waist and kisses him soundly. “You do seem happier around water. And my mouth has never been so salty.”

“This was a fantastic idea,” Peter announces, leaning his forehead against Costa’s. Jaquie rises up from the water and they immediately shift to make room for her in their little knot. “Jaquie, fantastic?”

“Definitely,” Jaquie agrees, eyes sparkling. “Definitely fantastic.”

And Peter has been to beaches dozens of times with people he cares about, but never with someone who’s never been before. Never with someone who’d break his own rules to give a good day to the people he’s dating. Never like this. He feels like he’s been waiting for this moment his whole life, and he has the three loves of his life here with him: Costa, Jaquie, and the ocean of possibility in front of them.

(“There are exceptions to every rule,” Costa had said, and with him and Jaquie there, Peter has never felt more exceptional.)

**Author's Note:**

> I am always, always, always ready to talk about these three on [Tumblr](http://officialseancassidy.tumblr.com) and [Twitter.](http://twitter.com/ofclseancassidy)


End file.
